Absorbent bezel for air conditioner

ABSTRACT

A front panel assembly for automobile air conditioners and comprised of a generally rectangular open frame and a flexible open cover around the frame. In one form of the invention the rearwardly extending edges of the cover are secured to the frame by screws and in another form of the invention the cover is secured to the frame by bonding. In both forms the front of the cover is spaced from the frame to form a projecting sealed air pocket to provide a cushion for protecting passengers in the automobile.

United States Patent 1 3,598,197

[72] Inventor Roy M- N t 2,624,596 1/1953 Clingman 180/90 X PM WOHILTQX-2,818,933 1/1958 Tell 180/90 [21] Appl. No. 832,356 2,855,066 10/1958Na11inger..... [80/90 [22] Filed June 11, 1 3,138,035 6/1964 Mitchell98/2 [45] Patented AIQ- 10, 19 1 3,498,402 3/ 1970 Barenyi 180/90 13Assignee Dynphnics, lnc. 3,509,697 5/1970 Dewey et all 62/262 wormPrimary Examiner-Kenneth H. Betts Attorney-Wefford and Felsman [54]ABSORBENT BEZEL FDR AIR CONDITIONER 4 Chhn, 5 Drawing Hp.

U-S. CL

A front panel for automobile air condi- 98/2 5 tioners and comprised ofa generally rectangular open frame [51] Int. Cl. B601 21/04 and a fl iblopen cove; around the frame In one f f the 0' m invention the extendingedges of the cover are 280/150 B; 98/265. 2 296/70 secured to the frameby screws and in another fonn of the invention the cover is secured tothe frame by bonding. In both [561 Ram cm forms the front of the coveris spaced from the frame to form a U IT STATES PATENTS projecting sealedair pocket to provide a cushion for protect- 2,165,660 7/1939 Snyder eta1. 180/90 ing passengers in the automobile.

PATENTEU AUG! 0 I97! SHEET 1 OF 2 FIG.

ROY M. NEECE INVENTOR ATTORNEY PATENTED AUG 1 0 I97! SHEU 2 [IF 2 R O YM. N EECE INVENTOR fwm ATTORNEY ABSORBENT BEZEL FOR AIR CONDITIONER Thisinvention relates to automobile air conditioners of the type mountedbeneath automobile instrument panels and has reference to a panelassembly supporting directional louvers and a plate for mounting controlknobs. By reason of its tapered wall a panel such as herein illustratedand described is ofien referred to as a bezel. It is to be understoodthat the present panel, which is open for supporting directionallouvers, is mounted on the front of an air conditioner case.

An object of the invention is to provide an automobile air conditionerpanel having an air cushion around its extending edge for preventinginjuries or bruises in the event a passenger strikes his legthereagainst.

Another object of the invention is to provide. in one form of theinvention, a shock absorbing core around the frame for further reducingpossible injury.

Another object of the invention is to provide, with possible exceptionof the louvers, an all plastic construction for economy of constructionand simplicity of assembly.

A further object of the invention is to provide an open frame capable ofsupporting louver mounts and a control plate in any desired arrangement,that is, whereby the control plate may be mounted at either end of theframe and the louver mounts may be arranged according to the locationsof the lou- 'vers.

These and other objects of the invention will become ap parent from thefollowing description and the accompanying drawings, in which;

FIG. 1 is a front elevational view of an automobile air conditionerpanel according to the invention and showing an exemplary arrangement ofa control plate and louvers.

FIG. 2 is an exploded view, shown partly in broken section, of apreferred form of the invention.

FIG. 3 is an enlarged transverse sectional view taken along the upperside of the assembly including coinciding matching holes in the frameand locking wedge.

FIG. 4 is an exploded perspective view, shown partly in broken section,of a modified form of the invention.

FIG. 5 is an enlarged transverse section of the form of the inventionillustrated in FIG. 4.

Referring now to FIGS. 2 and 3, the panel shown includes a frame havingforwardly converging upper and lower walls 11 and I2 and vertical endwalls 13. There is an open front wall 14 around the last referred towalls and there is a raised shoulder 15 around the periphery of theopening. A flange 100 projects inwardly, or rearwardly from the frontaround the opening of the front wall 14 and is spaced from the remainingwalls ll, 12 and 13. Preferably, the frame 10 is molded of rigid plasticsuch as acrylonitrile butadiene styrene copolymer.

Also of rigid plastic, there is an open locking wedge 16 shaped to bereceived in the tapered upper and lower frame walls 11 and I2 and thevertical end walls 13. The wedge I6 has screw receiving holes 17 whichmatch threaded holes 18 in the frame 10.

Around the frame 10 and covering the frame shoulder 15 there is a shockabsorbing core 19 of molded resilient plastic having the characteristicsof rubber. As shown in FIG. 3, the inner surface of the core 19 isshaped, at 20, to fit around the frame shoulder 15. As best shown inFIG. 3 the curved forward edge of the core 19 projects forwardly of andaround the frame shoulder 15 to provide an air cushion 21.

The core 19 has a cover 22 of preformed thin flexible plastic and may beof a color to match the interior of the automobile in which the airconditioner is installed. The rear comers of the cover 22 are notched at23 for convenience when folding the rear edge of the cover around therear edges of the frame walls I], I2 and 13. The cover 22 is secured inplace by the locking wedge 16 and screws 24 received in the holes 17 inthe locking wedge and the threaded holes 18 in the frame 10.

A control mounting plate 25 is illustrated in FIGS. 1 and 2 and includesopenings for receiving knob controls 26 and has brackets 27 forattaching the plate to the locking wedge l6.

The last referred to attachment may be made by means of v screws, notshown, or by bonding. The rear surface of the control plate 25 hasinternally threaded projections 28 for mounting louvers 29 which may beconventional and are shown only in HO. 1. Louver mounts 30 havingbrackets 31 and threaded projections 32 are applied in the same manneras the control plate 25 and additionally support the louvers 29.

The form of the invention shown in FIGS. 4 and 5 includes a molded frame33 of ABS or other rigid material and like the first described frame,has a top wall 34, bottom wall 35, end walls 36 and an inwardlyprojecting spaced flange 33a therearound. As shown, the bottom wall 35is concave in transverse section as a matter of ornamental design.Similar to the shock absorbing core 19, there is a molded cover 37 ofrubberlike material over all outer surfaces of the frame 33 and thefront portion of which is spaced from the front of the frame to providean air cushion 38. A control plate 25 and louver mounts, as previouslydescribed, are bonded to the inner periphery of the frame 33, and theshock absorbing cover 37 is also bonded to the frame.

What I claim is:

l. A front panel for an automobile air conditioner comprismg:

a frame of rigid material having top, bottom and side walls, the frontedges of said walls having rearwardly extending flanges to provide alouver receiving opening; formed layer of resilient material securedaround the outer surfaces of said frame walls and a portion of thesurfaces of said flanges, said layer of resilient material having aportion that is spaced from the front edges of said frame to provide anair cushion therebetween; and

a cover of flexible material extending over said resilient material andsecuring said resilient material in place, the edges of said coverextending around the rear edges of said frame and being securedintermediate said frame and a locking member; said locking member beingsecured to the back of said frame.

2. The front panel of claim I wherein said locking member is secured tothe back of said frame by fastening means that also define a pluralityof stations for positioning a control plate and a louver mount, andwherein said louver mount and said control plate are fastened atrespective and preselected ones of said plurality of stations betweenthe edges of said flanges.

3. A front panel for an automobile air conditioner comprising:

a frame of rigid material having top, bottom and side walls, the frontedges of said walls having rearwardly extending flanges to provide alouver receiving opening;

a formed layer of resilient material secured around the outer surfacesof said frame walls and on a portion of the surfaces of said flanges,said layer of resilient material having a portion that is spaced fromthe front edges of said frame to provide an air cushion therebetween;and

at least one louver mount and a control plate bonded between the edgesof said flanges at selected positions relative to the sidewalls of saidframe. A front panel for an automobile air conditioner comprisa moldedrigid frame having top, bottom and side walls defining a louverreceiving opening and having a predetermined outer contour that includesa front edge portion; and

a premolded, resilient shock absorbing cover having a first portion ofits interior surface that is premolded to conforrningly fit saidpredetermined outer contour, and having a second portion of its interiorsurface that is premolded to protrude forwardly of said front edgeportion; said premolded shock absorbing cover having its first portionbonded to substantially the entire said outer contour of said moldedrigid frame except said front edge portion, and having its secondportion protruding forwardly of said front edge portion to trap a volumeof air and form a compressible air cushion forwardly of said front edgeportion; said shock absorbing cover thereby forming a second externalcontour.

1. A front panel for an automobile air conditioner comprising: a frameof rigid material having top, bottom and side walls, the front edges ofsaid walls having rearwardly extending flanges to provide a louverreceiving opening; a formed layer of resilient material secured aroundthe outer surfaces of said frame walls and a portion of the surfaces ofsaid flanges, said layer of resilient material having a portion that isspaced from the front edges of said frame to provide an air cushiontherebetween; and a cover of flexible material extending over saidresilient material and securing said resilient material in place, theedges of said cover extending around the rear edges of said frame andbeing secured intermediate said frame and a locking member; said lockingmember being secured to the back of said frame.
 2. The front panel ofclaim 1 wherein said locking member is secured to the back of said frameby fastening means that also define a plurality of stations forpositioning a control plate and a louver mount, and wherein said louvermount and said control plate are fastened at respective and preselectedones of said plurality of stations between the edges of said flanges. 3.A front panel for an automobile air conditioner comprising: a frame ofrigid material having top, bottom and side walls, the front edges ofsaid walls having rearwardly extending flanges to provide a louverreceiving opening; a formed layer of resilient material secured aroundthe outer surfaces of said frame walls and on a portion of the surfacesof said flanges, said layer of resilient material haviNg a portion thatis spaced from the front edges of said frame to provide an air cushiontherebetween; and at least one louver mount and a control plate bondedbetween the edges of said flanges at selected positions relative to thesidewalls of said frame.
 4. A front panel for an automobile airconditioner comprising: a molded rigid frame having top, bottom and sidewalls defining a louver receiving opening and having a predeterminedouter contour that includes a front edge portion; and a premolded,resilient shock absorbing cover having a first portion of its interiorsurface that is premolded to conformingly fit said predetermined outercontour, and having a second portion of its interior surface that ispremolded to protrude forwardly of said front edge portion; saidpremolded shock absorbing cover having its first portion bonded tosubstantially the entire said outer contour of said molded rigid frameexcept said front edge portion, and having its second portion protrudingforwardly of said front edge portion to trap a volume of air and form acompressible air cushion forwardly of said front edge portion; saidshock absorbing cover thereby forming a second external contour.